Japan Serves Updates on Two Sporty Names

It’s been a good few years for tuners who cut their teeth – or at least lusted after – sporty machines from Japan back in the day. Recent developments have seen the return of a Civic Type R and freshened Nissan Z, new versions of which are set to hit our shores later this year.

This week, Honda showed off their new R at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan, while video surfaced of Team Nissan demonstrating the aural delights of the forthcoming Z.

We’ll start with the Big H, fresh from testing at the Suzuka Circuit and making its first public appearance in prototype form at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Wearing a camo wrap that was exclusively for it, the next Honda Civic Type R is promised to be the “best performing” Civic Type R to date. This is expected since it is unlikely the House of Honda will take a step backward in the hot-hatch handling and horsepower wars.

What little is known about the upcoming Type R has been gleaned from frame-by-frame study of a test-driving video, one which was shot at Suzuka in Japan and officially released by Honda. It will assuredly have less manic styling properties than the current car, a decision which makes sense given its polarizing design, but your author will still pour one out for the existing Type R when it vanishes since he enjoys its look tremendously. Please keep in mind that I am writing this while wearing a bright orange sweater and usually get a kick out of any car tuned by Mansory. No one said I was sensible.

Elsewhere, video clips have surfaced of the next Nissan Z blipping its throttle and making noise on a cold January morning. The new coupe was shown spitting gearhead delight out of its dual exhaust tips, though it was absent any crackle-and-bang that’s accompanied some of its competitors. Even at rest, for example, some Hyundai N products pop like rapid-fire, though there’s nothing to say Nissan hasn’t saved that bit of tuning for the overrun when letting off the throttle while going into a corner on a close course.

Quick poll of the B&B: Which of these two nameplates are you most excited to see in 2022? Are you the type who enjoyed fiddling with a grey-market Civic Type R in the ‘90s? Or are you a Z-head who preferred the delights of a rear-drive Nissan? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image: Honda]